Cindered Bones
by Nefertam
Summary: Set after the events of Follow Me Down, a viral epidemic decimates the world's population. The infected suffer before dying and rising again as the undead. In this world of pain and suffering, our heroes are tossed together for survival. With the promise of a cure on the horizon, will they live, and will they just become another pile of Cindered Bones? SYOC
1. How It Happened

"The way it happened, no one had time to react. It was like a plague. A virus. People started getting sick, just a little cold at first. Then it got worse. A lot of people just up and died without an explanation. You'd go to someone's house to check on 'em, and their entire family would be dead. But then they weren't. Bodies would get up and walk again, even after they'd been shot or cut. Nothin' killed em."

"It's worse than that. The infected would get an insatiable craving for meat. Livin' meat; cows, horses, and humans. A lot of people who didn't get sick got eat instead. And if you didn't get eat, you got bit and infected anyways."

"Then there's us. The survivors. We're special. Or so they tell me. Either way, we're alive, and everyone else is dead. This is life now. So where were you when the world went to hell?"

 **XxXxX**

 **Welcome, foolish mortals, to** ** _Cindered Bones_** **! This is the (no-canon) Zombie Apocalypse sequel to** ** _Follow Me Down_** **, so if you haven't read that, I would if I were you! There will be references!**

 **Now then, I will be opening submissions for this story, as I will be having multiple surviving groups. Here's the twist though: I want your characters to be of supernatural origins. They can be werewolves, vampires, superheroes, or anything you want (with my approval)! However, I still want your characters to be as REALISTIC, detailed, and rounded as possible. Also, I will please ask that if you have already submitted a character to** ** _Follow Me Down_** **, please do not submit another one. Thank you!**

 **Group 1:**

 **1\. Liam**

 **2\. Emma**

 **3\. Kaishi**

 **4\. S** **erik-Zauresh**

 **5\. Open**

 **6\. Open**

 **Group 2:**

 **1\. Cinder Taylan**

 **2.** **Sun-Li "Sun" Park**

 **3\. Open**

 **4\. Open**

 **5\. Open**

 **6\. Open**

 **Group 3:**

 **1\. Kyle Sanders**

 **2\. Dante**

 **3\. Ashley Hill**

 **4\. Seren Newman**

 **5\. Derik Rochelli**

 **So here's the form:**

 **Name:**

 **Nickname:**

 **Alias (if applicable):**

 **Age:**

 **Gender:**

 **Species (if applicable):**

 **Nationality/Ethnicity:**

 **Grade (if in school):**

 **Appearence (I expect this to be highly detailed):**

 **Scars, tattoos, piercings:**

 **Clothing (Two outfits appropriate for the zombie apacolypse):**

 **Personality (also highly detailed):**

 **Powers (please be unique):**

 **Weapon (if applicable, only things that might be found in a household. It is the Zombie Apocalypse):**

 **Backstory:**

 **Skills:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Fears:**

 **Color Associated with the Character:**

 **Symbol for Character (an object or concept that represents the OC as a whole):**

 **Hobbies:**

 **Likes:**

 **Dislikes:**

 **Strengths:**

 **Habits:**

 **Quirks:**

 **Other:**


	2. An Invitation

**Cinder**

"How'd you guys get your parents to trust you with the cabin for the weekend? Scratch that, how'd your parents even agree to let a whole bunch of teens spend the weekend at their cabin?"

"Oh ye of little faith. Our parents are the most _gullible_ I've ever met Cinder. They literally don't expect anything 'bad' to happen," my friend Raven explains.

"Yeah, they're totally blind. I could drink a bottle of whisky in front of my dad and he wouldn't even notice. We'll be _totally_ fine," her twin sister Robin adds.

I sigh and let out a little laugh. "Alright, alright. I just don't want you guys getting in trouble for having us over for the weekend."

"Dude, we'll be fine!" Raven exclaims. She looks around as if a new thought has occurred to her. "Hey, have any of you guys noticed how many people are absent?" She asks, sweeping a curl of her shiny black hair out of her eyes.

"Totally! Like, where is everyone? I mean, I know it's winter, but seriously!" Robin chirps distractedly. She checks her makeup in a little pocket mirror.

"Must be the flu or something. Aren't you, like, more likely to get sick in the winter than any other time of year?" I wonder aloud.

"I don't know. You're supposed to be the smart one Cinder," Robin smiles, finally looking up from her mirror.

I snicker. "Only most of the time."

"Hey, I'll catch you guys later. I'm going to see if I can find the others. Y'know, to make sure they got the invitations and, like, know where they're going. I guess I'll catch you guys at lunch!" Raven says, then slinks down the hall with that gracefully fluid walk that only a Valentino twin can manage.

"Hey, I better go with her. See ya!" Robin warbles. She trots after her sister with equal feline grace.

I sigh and rub the back of my neck. The Valentino twins are gorgeous and fun to hang out with, but Raven's a bit too sassy and Robin's a bit too ditzy. They're both genuine friends though, and I'm more than glad to have them.

I head over to my locker before classes start so I can get my books. The twins were right; there's really no one here. The normally crowded halls are now sparsely filled with quiet kids, gathered in hushed huddles or texting on their phones, looking concerned and alone.

"Hey stranger!" Someone taps my shoulder from behind. I smile.

"Hey Sunny! How's it going?" I ask my best friend, Sunny. Her real name is Sun-Li, but most people call her Sunny or Sun out of convenience.

"It's going! You ready for this weekend?" She asks, face lighting up with a smile. Sunny truly does live up to her name; she has to be one of the most cheerful people I know.

"I guess so. I've never really been to one of these parties. I guess this is a perk of being friends with the Valentino's?" It's pretty common knowledge that the Valentino family is one of the richest in Sparrow Falls. Their forefathers moved here from New Orleans a few decades ago, and before that the Twins claim they can trace their ancestry back to Italy and France. Somewhere along the way, the family became rich. Very rich. The Twins have taken advantage of this by throwing annual weekend-long parties at their parents "cabin", a giant lodge somewhere in the Appalachians.

"Don't worry, they're really fun. It's a good thing you hit it off so well with the Twins. And if you ever feel awkward, I'll be there to help," Sunny assures.

I shut my locker, then nod in agreement. "I'm sure your right. Hey, we should head to class. I don't know about you, but I don't want to get yelled at for being late by Mr. Smith _again_ ," I laugh.

"I hate having Anatomy first period. And I thought senior year was supposed to be easy!" Sunny exclaims, tossing her straight black hair over her shoulder. We walk down the sporadically filled hallway towards class.

"Yeah. Raven has a fricken' study hall first thing in the morning. If I didn't need another science credit, I'd so be in study hall."

"Dude, same!" Sun laughs, opening the door to Mr. Smith's room just before the 'class is starting' bell rings.

"Good morning class," Mr. Smith welcomes with a subtle smile. "Today we will be having a pop quiz on the surface areas of the body."

I groan and Sunny laughs a little at my disappointment.

Today is going to be a long day.

 **Kyle**

When you lose someone you love, the pain never really goes away. Sometimes you might ignore it; something might distract you from it. It's always really there. I found this out for this first time after my best friend Amy died in an automobile accident. I felt so heavy, so burdened by the grief and guilt of what happened, that sometimes I could hardly breathe. What's worse is that when I finally thought I was recovering from that sadness, I lost another friend. Kasper. And this time, it was my fault. You see, when they tell you you're "gifted", they also mean you're dangerous.

Over the past three months, I've really learned just how dangerous I can be, and how to control it. Being on a team of similar super-powered teens helps, but it also means that we share each other's pain and grief. For the past three months, there's been plenty to go around.

"Hey, twenty minutes 'till our flight lands," my best friend, Dante, says, nudging me to get my attention. Next to him, our mutual friend and teammate Seren sleeps with her head resting on Dante's shoulder. I laugh a little to myself. If she knew what she was doing, she'd probably be mortified. Someone as stubborn as Seren would never show affection like that in public. I think it must be against some kind of moral code for her. Then again, she did take Kasper's death pretty hard, especially because she was her cousin...

"Thanks. So where do we go once we land?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow.

"Baggage claim," Dante shrugs, the muscles in his arms coiling and shifting visibly thanks to his sleeveless shirt. "After that, I don't know. Maybe we'll get to ride to the Chicago headquarters in some kind of fancy limo?"

I laugh at Dante's stupid expression, his eyes wide and mouth upturned in an insane grin.

"Yeah, and maybe Seren will wear a tutu and through a tea party. I mean come on! It's the Department we're talking about here." The Department is a secret government organization that Dante, Seren, and I work for, along with our other teenage super-freak friends. When we aren't in school, we work as a sort of task force and special operations team when the government needs people with our... particular skillset.

"I can dream! You never know; maybe the Department in Chicago is richer than the one back home." Dante argues.

I just laugh it off. "You know you are going to freeze in that tank top once we get off this plane, right? If you thought Maryland was cold, wait 'til you feel Chicago in December," I jokingly chide.

"Nag, nag, nag, you're almost as bad as... as bad as Kasper," Dante finishes somberly. Dante still blames himself for his role in his girlfriend's death, even though it wasn't really his fault that she died.

But then again, when you lose someone you love, the pain never really goes away...

 **XxXxX**

 **Hello devoted readers! How was that look into some of our characters' lives, both new and old? I really wish I could have made these chapters longer, but I still haven't received nearly enough OCs to get the real story rolling, so until that time, I will build up and introduce OCs! Please review if you have any comments or critiques, and please keep sending in OCs!**

 **NOTE: If you would like to submit a character to Cinder's group, they MUST be high school age, preferably seniors. Also, I will be accepting NO MORE SUPERHEROES, but I WILL BE ACCEPTING SUPERNATURAL CREATURES.**

 **Thanks for reading, and God Bless!**


End file.
